Wood River planning new bike path

EAST ALTON — Wood River Township officials are excited about plans for a bike path in Cottage Hills, a path that would be one of the first in the northern part of Madison County.

The township board met Tuesday night to discuss the plans and hear comments from the public about the proposed bike path, which would run from Kutter Park north to Illinois Route 140. The path will be 10 feet wide and approximately 1/2 mile long, project manager Tom Cissell of Oates Associates said.

The path will run alongside Franklin on the east side of the road in unincorporated Madison County. The path will end at Route 140, but traffic-light Thelma Avenue north of Route 140 will be a shared-use roadway under the proposed plan. Bethalto Mayor Alan Winslow said eventually he hopes to connect the proposed path with the bike trail being constructed by the village near Steve Bryant Park and Culp Lane. The village, the township and some county officials, including Tom McRae, have worked together on plans for the proposed bike path.

If constructed, the path will be one of the few in the northern and western part of the county. Winslow said all of the Metro East Park District’s 200-plus miles of bike trails are south of the area. The two new paths could spur more trails in the area, Winslow said, expressing hope that Alton might want to construct a path connecting the trail to Gordon Moore Park in time as well.

“Overall, we’re very, very optimistic that we’re going to see the beginnings of a great, great trail system here,” Winslow said.

The path is estimated to cost approximately $420,000, all of which the township is hoping to fund through grants and donations, Babcock said. The township is in the process of applying for $200,000 from the Illinois Department of Natural Resources for construction of the path.

Another $100,000 toward the project has already been secured from the Phillips 66 Refinery in Roxana. Refinery spokesperson Melissa Erker said the refinery was happy to support a project that is “lasting, meaningful, and aligned with our value systems.”

“We want to reinvest in our communities,” Erker said. “We’re proud to be a partner on this project, and we hope that it is the beginnings of a greater development.”

The refinery has expressed a willingness to further fund the trail project if needed, Babcock said, and the township may also seek funds from Madison County Community Development program for the project.

Trustee Patrick McRae lives near Kutter Park and remembers a time when it was desolate and underutilized. Now thriving, McRae said the proposed path will give even more life to the area.

“I’m excited about the bike trail, and I’m excited about new use coming to the park,” Patrick McRae said.

With the board’s support, Babcock will move forward with grant requests in the coming months. If approved, Cissell said the path would need to be completed within a year of the IDNR grant being received.